2 shot at Atlanta warming center; GBI investigating after officer returned fire
An Old Fourth Ward recreation center, which was open early Thursday for those seeking shelter from the frigid cold, turned into a crime scene when someone managed to take a gun inside and opened fire, Atlanta police said.
Two men were shot inside the Central Park Recreation Center, which the city often uses as a warming center on especially cold nights.
An off-duty officer who was working at the site heard two people arguing before one man pulled out a gun and fired, according to investigators. The officer then fired at the alleged gunman, later identified by authorities as Antonio Wooten, 37, of Atlanta.
Wooten fell to the ground but wasn’t shot, instead sustaining a broken arm, the GBI said Thursday evening. He was taken into custody at the scene and, after receiving medical treatment, was taken to the Fulton County jail.
He faces five counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, police said.
The two gunshot victims are expected to survive, police Maj. Peter Malecki told reporters at the scene. One suffered four to five gunshot wounds, while the other was shot in his legs, police said. The officer was not injured.
A metal detector is installed at the front door of the recreation center, near a “no weapons” sign. Security officers are also present, along with routinely assigned off-duty police officers for protection, Malecki confirmed.
“Thankfully, (the officer) was there, because it certainly could have been much, much worse,” he said, adding that investigators are still looking into how Wooten was able to enter the building with a weapon.
According to Malecki, Wooten was inside around 10 a.m. and “became somewhat irate, began threatening other patrons of the warming center, as well as an employee,” before pulling out a gun and opening fire.
That’s when the officer shot back.
Police asked the GBI to investigate the officer’s use of his firearm. APD is investigating the incident involving Wooten, authorities said.
The recreation center is located at 400 Merritts Ave. within Central Park. The center was open Wednesday night, and guests were expected to leave by Thursday morning.
The location was not used as a shelter Thursday night because of the ongoing investigation, the city confirmed. The Rev. James Orange Park and Recreation Center on Oakland Drive in southwest Atlanta served as the city’s third shelter for the night.
Hours after the shooting, at a press event about creating affordable housing in the city, Mayor Andre Dickens declined to comment on how someone with a weapon got into the warming center.
Temperatures in the city plunged to below freezing late Wednesday, and Ron Hutton was among those seeking warmth for the night. He and roughly 50 to 60 people were still there Thursday morning when they suddenly heard gunshots.
“There wasn’t any commotion or anything … (no) words that I heard that led up to this. I just heard the gunshots started,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the scene.
Hutton said he’s used the warming centers in the past and said staff typically do a good job ensuring everyone’s safety.
“I don’t know how that guy got in with a gun this time,” he said.
The 60-year-old said he will continue using the shelter if the staff doubles down on ensuring no weapons are brought in.
The Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward, an Atlanta charter school that is right across from the recreation center, confirmed it was placed on a brief exterior lockdown because of the shooting.
“Law enforcement has since confirmed that there is no continuing threat to our students or staff,” the school said in a statement, adding that normal school operations had resumed.
— Photojournalist Ben Hendren and staff writer Matt Reynolds contributed to this report.
About the Authors
Rosana Hughes is an award-winning bilingual (fluent in Spanish) journalist with a passion for explanatory public service journalism. She has been a reporter on the breaking news team since January 2022.
